The process of visually comparing two continuous lines for equality is well-established. For example, a person is asked to write a continuous line on one sheet of paper and then is asked to write the same continuous line on a second sheet of paper. By visually comparing the two continuous lines, it can be concluded either the two lines are similar or not similar. The visual comparison is time consuming and can result in comparison errors due to human factors. The two continuous lines can be electronically generated and compared using an automated computer based verification system.
A computer mouse, stylus or a digitizer tablet are known for data input applications. Typically, a mouse or a digitizer tablet is used for capturing primarily spatial and sequential information. When a mouse is moved or something is written on a digitizer tablet, the output is a parametric representation of the movement; that is, the writing is represented as a series of x, y coordinate values as a function of time. This feature may be applied to other gathering functions.
The accuracy of an automated computer based verification system relies on the mathematical algorithms and methods of comparing two continuous lines. Today, there are companies who have developed their own automated computer based verification system, but these systems make mistakes in recognizing the differences between two continuous lines and fall short in establishing whether the same user generated both lines. The use of a pointing device like a mouse or stylus to inscribe input into these systems allows for a wide variation of input because the arm and wrist movements can act as a fulcrum effect. The resulting input allows wide variance and limits ability to reproduce input in a repeatable fashion. The present invention teaches the user to use a constrained anatomical position with their wrist and arm thus reducing the wide variance seen with other systems. The present invention corrects for these wide variances and the input can be further analyzed by biometric indices like size of hand and maximum motility reach to create a more reliable and repeatable input to help confirm the matching of two continuous lines.
Further, existing methods do not adequately secure the transmission of the data or packet of information between the point of generation and the receipt of this input at a web based server or device consisting of a memory and processor. Information sent over the Internet or telephone lines can still be intercepted and subsequently utilized for fraudulent means. The security of a users' PIN, password or other personal information is increasingly becoming compromised by hackers who steal users' identities after they hijack their PINS and passwords especially when using the Internet. PINS, passwords, tokens, smart cards are all incapable of authenticating the real user reliably because they can be stolen, lost or borrowed, thereby allowing fraud and misrepresentation. The data that is stored in a registry or database in a server is also not adequately protected by encryption and does not have a reliable secure method of authenticating the actual user or administrator who desires to access the data.
Furthermore, there is a cost associated with loss of personal data, credit cards, account information and other fraudulent actions caused by the theft of these items when a user is online. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a quick and secure online method of identification, which is accurate and cost effective.
What is needed is a method for collecting the parametric representation of the movement of any computer pointing device, such as a mouse, stylus, touchpad, eraser stick, trackball, joystick, digitizer tablet pen or any physical input such as a finger or input from other body movements, or input from electrical current or impulses, or input from human or mechanical sound waves. The input is collected in a specific format and at certain time intervals and uses the collected parametric representation to generate certain differentiating factors to provide a highly reliable technique for comparing two continuous lines. Further the data that is transmitted from a user at point A needs to be sent to a server or registry at point B using secure methods like PKI. Once this data is stored in the registry or server, access to it needs to be based on an authentication method using a unique quadrant array analysis as referenced in our Ser. No. 10/957,581 patent Pending filed Oct. 5, 2004 and entitled “Method for Storing and Comparing Computer Generated Lines”. The quadrant array analysis of comparing two continuous lines referenced in Ser No. 10/957,581 and the other methods of collecting and analyzing data described in claims 1-33, can include the use of biometrics generated from any computer pointing device, such as a mouse, stylus touchpad, eraser stick, trackball, joystick, digitizer tablet pen or any physical input such as a finger or input from other body movements, or input from electrical current or impulses, or input from human or mechanical sound waves. Furthermore, with the increasing use of the Internet for a myriad of applications and transactions, verifying accurately and reliably a user's identity on-line is particularly desirable.